Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-11-26
OLD WORLD WORSHIP.
CRUCiFixES AT THE CROSSROADS
Or AUSTRIA AND BAVARIA.

l
Few things were more interesting TO me
than the different modes OF worship that l
saw among the various nations whose coun-
tries Travelled on my tour around the world
on bicycle From the irreligious cowboy of
the wild west, who prides himself on caring
for neither God, man nor devil, 10 the gentle
hindoo penltent Dragging his emaciated body
hundreds OF miles that he may die on the
banks OF the sacred ianges are many inter
estlns forms OF worship, many strange be-
lefs.
In travelling along the roads OF Catholic
Europe one OF the most impressive things TO
the observant American is The big cruclflxes
erected at the CROSSROADS
As one gets farther eastward into Catholc
Bavaria and Austria these crossroad cruel
hxes present very curious appearance At
taeheu 10 the erossike frame ara seen saws,
axes, piowshares, hayfakes' pitchiofks,
spades ana all manner Oh agricultural impie-
| ments sometimes the crucifixes are varied
by snug little brick shrines containing |
| images OF the Virgin Mary, sundry OF the |
| saints and various Roman Catholic parapher-
| MALTA Candles are burnt before the little |
| doll ike images OF These wayslde saints on |
holy Gays ana you've oherihSs are iliade by |
| the superStltious peasahtry
rive 1ilies oay' III Monafnhiedah eoun-
trles' Une nhuezzin goes up on 10 the oaieony
OF the tali nliraret ana sings OUT IN voice
that can ne heard hali a mile away: mere
| Is no uod out one 1od, anu Mohahned Is MS
prophet Hearing this the devout Mussui-
man murmurs "Allah-ll-Allah" in response,
and pausng in whatever he may be doing he
spreads MS coat or something on the ground,
| siips ms sh"es OIL anu, proslIatlis hihiseh
several times toward Mecca re'ltes sundry
passages Oh die Moran "heh the Mohani-
medan enters the sacred precincts oi the
mosque ne leaves DIS Shoes at the door ana
enters IN his stocklnged feet or IN hight slip
pers especially provided at the door by an
attendant The headgear is never removed
by the Mussumans for religious exercises, as
with ourselves.
One of the most sanctlmonious individuals
in the world is the Persian. Belonging to the
Shah branch OF the Mohammedan faith, the
Perslans fairly outdo the rest OF the world,
not excepting even our noble Christian selves,
in considering themselves the elect of all the
: peoples of the earth In passing Christian
in the bazars the Persian imam or seyced
, Will gather his flowing gown closely about
him, lest perchance 1t should brush against
: the iniidel and contaminate him by the con-
tact, These people, too, would as soon think
Of committing suicide as drinking water from
the same cup as Christian. The Persians
are far more fahatleal than the Turks.
have been inside plenty OF Turkish
mosques, and nave stood on the minaret bal
cony with the mueZzln and listened to him
shouting the summons to prayer; but to pen
citrate into a Persian mosque would mean
trouble
FIVE times DAY the PERSIAN halts IN what
| ever he may DE dong, ana, pr"strating hin-
! self toward Mecca, mumbies his prayers AS
). general thing he carries, slowed away IN
his hammeround, a small oval cake OF holy
clay, from the sacred soli OF Mecca mesheei
~ or kerbeila, which ne places on the ground
' oeiore MN as ne prays Every Time ne pro~-
trates himself he touches his forehead to the
,t bit OF sacred clay instead OF the common
r earth by TINS process ne IS supposed 10 an
P sorb certain portion OF the spiritual adVan-
a. tages appertalmng 10 the Worshlper dweA-
=. ing or VISITING at the hoiy city itseif
t, More fanatlcal and dangerous, because less
rivilized and more warliSe tnan ther ferslan
- nelghhors, are the Atghans- Ihese valiant and
q turbulent warriors OF lsianl present the ex
L treme wing OF MuSsnlfnah ianaticlsm ana re
4 ligious fervor these days 10 that strange
Will country IN southern khorassan my
A mind wanders inttntlvely whenever thini
u OF the Mohammedan rehglon and ITS faithful
II devoteeS " hen at sunset Ihe people woult
v turn toward the west Mecca beng west from
that country and perform theT cnStomar,
prostrations and prayers they would fall Il
wondering among themselves why 1t wa
that too did not follow suit. Why was
that |, OF all the people there, omitted TO bov
z my forehead to the ground and sing out
There IS no 6od save one tod, and Mohan
= med IS bis prophet used To explain .
them that most CHRISTIANS oeVote one "a
out OF seven 10 the worship OF Alah, ana az
proprlate the remaining SIX 10 thelr own use
lily At this they would regard me "ltn create
IN N. astonishment thah ever
ch AS we pursue our course 'iii"usu il'ila I' u
he peopie "o NV s'",e -. I''o .11 ~ -- :
IN al the bicycle are neatneIis VINO WIN NAY Ia,
is none OF the ohr'stiah OF isisn'i'e" "ou' IN
,i, gods they worship are hun'oei''Fs sniioSI All ~
,rk the biahes OF grass IN tneano" Inc MI
doos nave inVes'ed many 'nihss WIN u
oroer Oh sahc'ity' iue 1rtes are sacreu 'h
III ers' mountains, p'ros anu aii't,,ais are ooJec
OF worship ana Veheraeieh' NO" ana tne
l came across Tree, neeh' oee', P Peepul
ic pahyah' s'reaheu wiz, 'eu pain'' us "oui
los De Tree eSEeciaiiS s'''ec'eu 'oI 'ue pulpu
OF worship as ieiieseh.ins Soii,e toi 'ieu,s .n
god. The god the h4hdoo Ira'elers OF ouel.
a, ing villagers could not nave Win them
ways, but they could always have the tre
and so by worshiping the tree. ms represent
81 I'VE "oulo they gam we ear oi soli,e n,'eo
idol sitting In state In MS cniVaia al benare
A common sight would be that OF a ring
on prostrating themselves and paying their d
. w votions
The natives of Bengal seemed to me to fs
down and worship almost anything that co
}Fs tributed to their animal comforts There
Iei iet somethinr grotesoueIy practical in payi,
q ona,s davotion IN a howl of rice or a lar
shirfrI Rsncsl viIlaoar doas evary dsv in +,
wear
The worship of John Chinaman is so mix
up with superstition and with beatheni
rites and ceremonies for the Precipitation
evil spirits that it would take good siz